5 strangers in S'pore offer to pay Korean BBQ S$269 bill for couple who ate & left

People empathise with the business.

Belmont Lay | Fiona Tan | March 24, 2022, 07:31 PM

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Five unrelated people have stepped forward to offer to foot the S$269 bill left behind by a man and woman who ate at the Pa Bul Lo Korean BBQ restaurant in Serangoon Garden and left without paying.

The restaurant owner, Karen Ho, said she received five separate offers -- three via texts and two over the phone -- from strangers who got in touch with the restaurant to find out how they can settle the bill on behalf of the man and woman, no strings attached.

These offers caught Ho by surprise.

Though grateful, Ho said they were not needed.

She said: "I take this as a charity case"

One of the messages sent over text shared with Mothership.sg, read:

What offers of help said

You can read the exchanges in full below.

Stranger 1: Hello, I saw the news in Mothership about the couple who didn't pay the bill... Can I check if the guy has paid his bill?

Restaurant: No.

Stranger 1: I don't mind transferring the money to help your side. Let me know where to transfer you?

Restaurant: May I know who are you?

Stranger 1: Uhm. It's okay. I wish to remain anonymous.

Restaurant: Are you his friend or his wife?

Stranger 1: Huh? Not related at all, haha.

Just wish to help. Didn't know he was married, cos the article said they were on a date? I saw the news and it seems difficult to get him pay, or even pursue the lawsuit. So thinking to help out.

Restaurant: Hi, thank you for reaching out to us. It's okay, you don't have to pay on their behalf. The lady has already paid half the bil and admitted to her mistakes. As for the guy, I hope all this publicity through the different social platforms will teach him a lesson. Thank you for the offer on paying on behalf. But it's okay! We appreciate it. :)

Stranger 2: I work for Coffee Meets Bagel, the dating app and while I don't know what kind of dating app there two used, what they did was not right. I'm happy to pay for their bill on behalf of Coffee Meets Bagel.

Restaurant: Hi, thank you for reaching out to us. It's okay, you don't have to pay on their behalf. The lady has already paid half the bil and admitted to her mistakes. As for the guy, I hope all this publicity through the different social platforms will teach him a lesson. Thank you for the offer on paying on behalf. But it's okay! We appreciate it. :)

Ho said the incident frustrated her as "it's very hard for our small shop" and this was the first time something like this has happened to her in her 20 years in the F&B business.

Brief background

The male customer and female dining partner left the restaurant separately, with both parties saying post-incident that the other party was responsible for picking up the tab.

The restaurant went public with what happened by releasing a nine-minute video online on March 18.

The restaurant reached out to both diners, but both initially refused to pay.

The woman has since paid half of the bill on March 20, five days after the incident, but the man has not paid.

Background

The incident has since been reported in-depth, with both customers giving different interpretations -- a classic he said, she said case -- regarding why the other party should have paid.

Shin Min Daily News reported that the couple had ordered a set of wagyu beef, hot tea, soft drinks and rice wine.

The incident took place on March 15 at about 8:30pm.

The man claimed the woman stood him up twice before this meeting, and he was intrigued to find out the kind of person she is so he agreed to this dinner, believing it was her treat for her past absence.

The woman was the one who made the reservation.

Surveillance footage taken inside the restaurant showed the man getting up to leave first, as the woman went to the restroom.

The man walked out first without paying.

The woman then left the restaurant as she claimed she thought the man had paid.

The woman later said she suspected she was a victim of a dating app fraud given that the man did not pay.

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